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Party City is on its way back to the Upper West Side — just over a year after the brand’s neighborhood storefront went dark. But the return won’t look quite like the Party City longtime customers remember, and the location may surprise a few shoppers.
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The brand is moving into 2248 Broadway, the longtime home of the Staples between West 80th and West 81st streets, as a shop within the existing store rather than as its own standalone outlet. The arrangement is part of a national rollout that pairs the office-supply chain with the party-goods brand under one roof.The two companies announced the tie-up in a joint press release distributed through Business Wire about a week ago, describing a strategic partnership that places Party City inside more than 700 Staples locations across the country and on Staples.com. Additional stores are slated to be added through the end of 2026. Shoppers can pick up helium balloons, tableware, gift bags, costume accessories, and party décor on the same trip they use Staples’ same-day printing services for invitations, banners, posters, and yard signs.
Marshall Warkentin, president of Staples U.S. Retail, framed the move as an extension of the chain’s convenience pitch, pointing to a single trip that covers party goods alongside print and marketing services. Joel Weinshanker, CEO of Ad Populum — the company that now owns Party City — described Staples as a natural fit because of its national footprint and longtime ties to the communities both brands have served.
The shop-in-shop format gives Party City a path back to brick-and-mortar retail without rebuilding the standalone store network it lost. The brand filed for Chapter 11 protection a second time in 2024 and wound down nearly all of its locations through early 2025, including the longtime Upper West Side outlet at 660 Columbus Avenue at the corner of West 92nd Street, which we covered when it confirmed its closing. According to NewsNation, more than 100 Staples in California are already operating with Party City sections, with additional stores live in New York, Florida, and Massachusetts.
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The 2248 Broadway address has its own storyline. Last year, ILTUWS reported on Westside Market’s $32.5 million purchase of the three-floor building, raising questions about whether the family-owned grocery chain was preparing to open a third Upper West Side location across the street from Zabar’s. Staples has remained the tenant since, and the addition of Party City inside it suggests the office-supply chain isn’t vacating the space in the immediate future. ILTUWS has reached out to Westside Market for comment on whether the shop-in-shop affects any future plans for the property. We’ll provide updates when we know more.Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
